Branford, Connecticut
June 5, 2008
A new research study planned at
CRAG, Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics in Barcelona,
Spain, is focusing on the de novo sequencing of the musk melon
(Cucumis melo). CRAG recently bought a Genome Sequencer FLX from
454 Life Sciences, a centre of excellence of Roche Applied
Science, for use in this project and in support of other ongoing
research projects. The institute is a consortium between CSIC
(Spanish National Research Council), IRTA (Institute for Food
and Agricultural Research and Technology) and UAB (Autonomous
University of Barcelona); several major agricultural seed
companies are acting as sponsors. The institute will start work
with 50 scientists and a total of 200 people working in plant
and farm animal genomics and their applications in breeding.
CRAG will be ready for full operation by mid 2009 in a new
building under construction in the campus of UAB in Bellaterra,
near Barcelona.
The Genome Sequencer FLX System at CRAG will be used for the
melon sequencing project and in support of other on-going
research projects. The major applications used will be whole
genome and BAC sequencing, small RNA analysis and transcriptome
sequencing. One important application area is the de novo
sequencing of eukaryotic plant genomes. The institute is
planning to start sequencing of the melon genome which is
similar in size to the rice genome at 450 Mb by the end of 2008.
With a pilot phase already underway, the aims of the project are
to understand the basic processes of development and pathogen
resistance in melon and to provide tools for breeders to enhance
the pathogen resistance of cultivated varieties and to
facilitate the breeding of fruit characters such as aroma, shape
and ripening.
“The melon sequencing project is of strategic importance in
Spain because melon is the second most produced vegetable crop,
after tomato,” said Jordi Garcia-Mas, Head of Marker Assisted
Breeding at the Institute of Agro-Food Research and Technology
.“We choose the Genome Sequencer FLX System from a number of
competiting solutions because of its long read lengths,
throughput, and application flexibility. The large number of
high-value publications using the sequencing technology of 454
was a major reason for the decision.”
“The instrument will also be important for other projects in our
centre such as gene regulation in model and crop plants both at
the level of transcription and by small RNAs or for SNP
discovery in crop plants and farm animals” said Pere
Puigdomènech, Director of CRAG.
454 Life Sciences develops and commercializes the Genome
Sequencer System for ultra-high-throughput DNA sequencing.
Specific applications include de novo sequencing and
re-sequencing of genomes, metagenomics, RNA analysis, and
targeted sequencing of DNA regions of interest. The hallmarks of
454 Sequencing are its simple, unbiased sample preparation and
long, highly accurate sequence reads, including paired reads.
Sequencing technology of 454 has enabled many peer-reviewed
studies in diverse research fields such as cancer and infectious
disease research, drug discovery, marine biology, anthropology,
paleontology, and many more.
For additional information, please visit
http://www.454.com.
For more information on the technology, visit
www.roche-applied-science.com/sis/sequencing.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the
world’s leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields
of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world’s biggest
biotech company and an innovator of products and services for
the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of
diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to
improving people’s health and quality of life. Roche is the
world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and
transplantation, a market leader in virology and active in other
major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases,
inflammation, metabolism and central nervous system. In 2006
sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totaled 33.3 billion Swiss
francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 8.7 billion
Swiss francs. Roche employs roughly 75,000 worldwide and has R&D
agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners,
including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai.
Roche’s Diagnostics Division offers a uniquely broad product
portfolio and supplies a wide array of innovative testing
products and services to researchers, physicians, patients,
hospitals and laboratories world-wide. For further information,
please visit our website at www.roche.com.
454 and 454 Sequencing are trademarks of 454 Life Science
Corporation, Branford, CT, USA, a Roche company.
All brands or product names are trademarks of their respective
holders.
Other news
from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) (Autonomous
University of Barcelona) |
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